BADMINTON

(17 miles s.w. of Cirencester)

A Roman mosaic pavement is said by John Aubrey
to have been noted here c. 1686. (fn. 1) A Roman building
in Badminton Park (ST 8083) was excavated by the
Duchess of Beaufort and Lord Albert Conyngham,
probably in 1846. There is no record of the structure,
but finds included much pottery, coins of 'the Lower
Empire', a bronze statuette and three intaglios. (fn. 2)

(I) 'Celtic' Fields (ST 797832-ST 811845) in Badminton
Park, extending into Hawkesbury parish, can be
detected within some 70 acres of pasture and arable,
above the 400-ft. contour, in two main areas centred
respectively (a) ½ mile S. and (b) ½ mile E. of Little
Badminton (Plate 42). To S.W. the traces continue
outside the park. The remains survive in pasture as a
skeleton of lynchets up to 3 ft. high; other field sides
have been flattened by strip cultivation and by ridgeand-furrow. To S.E. of the park, across the county
boundary with Wiltshire (about ST 819832), further
traces of 'Celtic' fields extend to Giant's Cave long
barrow in Luckington; here in 1960–2 copious 2nd to
4th-century Roman pottery was found, and also six
4th-century coins (WAM, 65 (1970), 39–63).